I Fly
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Not every death was meant to be. Sometimes, fate has other plans. But will those plans save one universe, only to doom another? Flung from his world at the brink of death, a young Uchiha finds himself in a strange realm, where humanity...is no longer at the top of the food chain. In the midst of this strange new world, will he find a family? ObitoxMikasa! Co-written with VsfMark!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello there, dear reader! I was recently presented with an interesting idea for a NarutoxShigenki no Kyojin crossover. I'm sure most of you have already read "I'm only Human" of course but this story flows in an entirely different vein. At first, I wasn't going to try it at all. Unfortunately, what with being laid off now, I have far too much time on my hands so I figured what the hell. You may also notice I've teamed up with someone this time. I've agreed to help co-write this for a new author, someone who's relatively new to the Fanfiction scene. His name is Vfsmark, and I, being the good soul that I am, decided to lend him a hand with this story. We sincreley hope you enjoyed our combined effort!**

** And on that note...**

**...away we go!**

_"I get the succint feeling I'm not in Konoha anymore..._

_~?_

**Prologue**

"Obito!"

The sound of his name brought Uchiha Obito back to consciousness. Just barely. His mind hung by a thread, tethered only by the sound of his name being called. It would be so easy to drift off now-to just let sleep take him and enfold him in its velvety embrace. He'd fought well, hadn't he? Proved that he was worthy of the Uchiha name? Of course he had. He'd done his best, given it his all. Everyone would be proud of him back in the village. His parents, his clan, Minato, Kakashi, maybe even...

_"Obito!"_

Persistence paid off in the end, however, giving him the strength needed to fight off death's grasp.

"Obito, don't you do this! Stay with me!"

_Rin_? The blackness in the corners of his vision seemed to recede as her pleasant voice, piqued now in panic, pierced the fog in his mind._What am...where am I..nrrgh?!_

The next thing the young Uchiha noticed was the excruciating, crushing pain in the right half of his body. Oh, right. Now he remembered. he'd pushed Kakashi out of the way of a falling boulder. That's why being awake hurt so damned much, caused him this pain. Ha! Pain was a massive understatement. This was_agony_pure and simples; terrible and unbearable, filling every fiber of his being, threatening to end him at any moment. By some miracle he could still feel his arm and leg on that side, his fingers and toes wriggling when he tried to move them. He must've broken some ribs or worse_...gods this hurt!_

Gradually his sight resolved into more meaningful shapes, blurs and shadows morphing into the face of his teammate. She was staring down at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears. Why was she crying for him, he'd wondered? Weren't those tears wasted on someone like him?

"Rin...

The young kunocihi started when he called

"Rin...you should -no, you have to run. Get away from here. Reinforcements must be on the way…." He coughed weakly, flecks of blood staining his lips from the effort. "You need to escape. Take Kakashi and run. I can't get free."

He managed to turn his face enough to see the tears well up in her eyes.

"Go, Rin. Find Kakashi and leave me."

As if summoned by his words, sudden shock of white suddenly appeared in his peripherals, flinging itself recklessly over the mound of boulders he was buried under.

"Rin! He's right, we need to leave now!" Kakashi's voice was frantic, a testament to how much trouble they were in if the "cool genius" was starting to lose his composure. He hastily grabbed Rin and tossed her over his shoulder before she could react, swiftly making his way out of the rocky grave Obito lay in.

"Obito! No!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you a present for you promotion Kakashi. Maybe in the next life huh?" That got a watery chuckle from the older boy.

"Yeah, maybe." And with that he disappeared over the edge of the pit and out of sight.

The sound of steel crashing against steel greeted Obito's ears almost immediately afterwards. A wet gurgle resounded just outside his rocky tomb, punctuated by the sounds of steel meeting steel.

"NO! NO! NO!" The reinforcements can't be here already! Desperate, he of tried to wiggle out from under the immense weight of the rocks stacked on top of him but it's no use. Too much. Too heavy. Too weak. Despite the clash of steel is silenced momentarily, only to be replaced by a far more chilling sound. A thousand birds chirping, all at once. Then silence. Not that. Anything but that. If there was noise then he could at least think about the outcome of the battle. But if there was no sound, none at all then that must mean...

They're dead. He'd failed. They'd all failed. Failed to complete their mission but more than that; failed to survive and make it back together. He could feel the darkness pressing down around him, the sorrow threatening to break him entirely. His right eye, the one uncrushed by the boulder, began to ache. Everything was blurring around him now; bending, warping, twisting...

This time when the blackness came, he didn't fight it.

* * *

Obito's eyes fluttered open a small eternity later, seemingly of their own accord. The boy almost wished they hadn't. He found himself staring not at the forest canopy of his demise but rather a wooden ceiling indicitave of someone's home-his body laid out on a soft bed and matress. Sparsely decorated furnishings hung about him, what little he could see without raising his head. Was he dead? _No._ A jolt of pain down his spin shattered that illusion. If he was dead, truly dead and gone, then he wouldn't be in so much pain. If he were dead, his arm and leg wouldn't feel so...odd.

_What in the world...?_

A quick glance down the at himself confirmed that his right arm and leg were bound up in a cast, the entire side of his body sheathed in bandages that had be at least several inches thick. Ah. So that was why the right side of his body felt so off. Hissing in pain as he became more and increasingly aware of his surroundings, every breath grinding the shattered bones grinding together, he managed to sit himself upright enough to lean his body weight back against the pillow and headboard. Everything hurt, his limbs, ribs, even his eyes were sore! Someone must've treated his wounds, he realized.

But that meant he was alive. And if he was alive, then someone must've pried his body out from under the boulder, which also meant they'd brought him here-wherever here was-also meaning...

_I'm about to meet them._

A heartbeat later his words proved prophetic.

"It's about time you showed some signs of life, you stubborn brat."

Obito squinted through eyes that felt filled with shards of glass to regard the one who had spoken to him; to finally become aware of the dark-haired man standing at the foot of his bed. He wasn't alone. He stood there surrounded by others. The lone constant among them seemed to be the dark green cloak they woere, and their hardened gazes. But the dark-haired man stood out amongst them somehow-Obito couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something about him that suggested the aura of command.

"Who are...?"

"Levi." The dark-haired man answered. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, kid."

"You're...happy?!" Obito's deadpan was barely concealed. Well, he certainly didn't look it! In fact, if one were to glance at Levi, they wouldn't have thought much of him at all. Short, with straight black hair, sharp eyes and an almost perpetually disinterested expression caused him to look as though he wasn't interested in anything or downright apathetic, despite the contrary. He almost reminded Obito of Kakashi in a way; minus the silver hair, though he'd never have said that aloud. Kakashi. Just the thought of his old teammate was almost enough to bring tears back to his eyes. If his friend's scream had been anything to go by then Kakashi was almost certainly dead, and Rin with him. As for himself he was here in this place...where the hell was _here _anyway?

"Oi, Erwin." Levi grunted, not giving him any time to process those words, "Get the doc in here. Kid's awake."

Obito started as the door swung open, admitting another individual.

Whereas Levi's appearance contrasted his demeanor, this commander proved the exact opposite. Stoic and stern with short cropped blonde air and grey eyes, he radiated a no-nonsense aura, one of command and cold logic. And yet there was no hint of menace about him as he approached the bed and knelt to face Obito. None whatsoever.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Considering I got crushed by a boulder?" Obito frowned. "Shitty." Ordinarily he wouldn't have cursed at all, but suffice it to say losing his friends had made him more than a little grouchy! To his disbelief, his deadpann didn't earn him a beating. Quite the contrary! A slight smile quirked at the commander's visage, like a fine crack etching across a stone's surface.

"Understandable."

_"He's awake?!"_

Begrudgingly, the Scouting Corps made way for a brown haired woman, wearing thick glasses and the same brown, and white uniform as the other two men. Bodies shuffled aside as she pushed forward to the center of the room, all but rushing the foot of the bed in her haste to meet him.

"I see you're as lively as ever, Hanji-san." Erwin replied, unmoved by the exuberant display.

"Of course commander!" Without pause or preamble she turned the full weight of her goggled gaze upon Obito.

"Glad to see you up and about, boy." her hazel eyes practically twinkled with interest. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it."

_'Well, at least that makes two of us.'_ Obito though morosely before his thoughts drifted back towards the unfortunate fate of his longtime friends. Rin...Kakashi...they were dead. Gone. It all his fault; how was he going to tell Minato-sensei that they'd perished because of him? How? The questioned welled up inside him like a pit, blotting out all else. Sensei would hate him for this. Surely. All the same, there was nothing he could do to but mourn their loss the only way he knew how. With tears. He felt his fists crumple around the edges of his sheets until they drew blood, staining them crimson around the edges.

_Damnit..._

Abruptly the door swung open for what he sincerely hoped was the last time, admitting a scholarly looking, bespectacled man with long dark hair. Obito was too bereft to lend the fellow further description. Perhaps this was the doctor Levi-sand had spoken of. Perhaps not. Regardless, he couldn't bear the thought of a stranger seeing his sorrow. Just who were these people that had taken him in, anyway? None of them wore hitiate at all and yet, they carried themselves like a collective unit. Mercenaries, then? If that was the case, then who was this? Only one way to find out.

"And just who might you be, sir?" Obito swiftly scrubbed at his eyes, finding himself asking the same question for must've been the upteenth time since he'd finally opened his eyes. There were too many faces and names to remember here; more and more he found himself ill at ease. Just who were all these people? What interest did they have in him? More importantly, what did they want with him? Too many questions! Not enough answers!

"Grisha Jaeger." the man replied with a kindly smile. "I'm a doctor; the one who tended your wounds." He gestured at the crowded guest room. "This is my home."

"So?" Obito didn't waste any time asking the obvious; he'd never been one to beat around the bush to begin with. "Am I," And here he did swallow, "Going to lose anything?"

The doctor sighed and adjusted his spectacles.

"Well, the good news is that your right arm and leg will be just fine. You'll have to wear a cast for them, and you'll be bedridden for a few weeks. The bad news is that your muscles have been severely damaged; they'll heal in time, but they'll never be as strong as they once were on that side. Considering what happened to you, you're lucky to be alive at all." He looked like he might've said more, had not that damned door opened for still a third time! Obito was just about to protest the seemingly neverending flow of visitors when he heard the newcomer speak.

"How's he doing, dear?" A woman's voice asked from around the bend.

"Better than expected, given the circumstances." Grisha replied.

"Great." Levi grumbled crossly to himself. "As if we didn't have enough people in here already."

Obito craned his neck round in vain to search for the newcomer; the motion proved almost impossible with his battered body. It wasn't until they'd nudged their way through the throng of bodies that he was finally able to get a good long look at their facce. Once more, the young Uchiha found himself jolted by an eerie sense of familiarity. Much to his disbelief he found himself peering at a middle-aged woman, her heart-shaped visage bearing dark eyes and framed by even darker hair, a sea of ebony locks cascading down her back and dress. Was she an Uchiha, he wondered? No, that wasn't possible. Every single one of his clan members always had a chronic case of the dreaded "stick up their ass" disease. Honestly, the females were even worse!

Whereas this woman seemed positively placid.

"I thought you might be hungry." she pushed a plate of piping hot food into his lap.

Despite his wounds, Obito flushed.

"Th-Thank you, ma'am." he said, stunned by her generosity.

"Ara, aren't you polite?"

"Yes ma'am." Poor Obito; he was practically salivating as meal's warm aroma reached his nose. "My parents raised me to always respect my elders."

Levi snorted, looking almost as if he were amused.

"So I'm your elder, huh?" Carla idly asked as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "I didn't think I was that old."

"Err…Umm… No ma'am?" Obito recounted lamely, embarrassment coloring his face.

"Relax young man. My wife was teasing." Grisha stated, humor coloring his voice. "Eren, come in here and introduce yourself to our guest."

At Doctor Jeager's insistence, a little boy of about nine years old shuffled slowly into the room, his green eyes warily flicking across the room. He appeared to have a reverential attitude towards the members of the Scouting Legion in the room, every time he glanced their direction his eyes lit up with barely concealed curiosity and delight. It was only when he approached the bedside that he made eye contact with Obito. Upon realizing that he wasn't one of the adults in the room he seemed to relax a bit, his brilliant green eyes filled with curiosity.

"I'm Eren." he introduced himself without preamble, punctuated immediately thereafter by a question. "What happened to your face?"

This time both Levi and Erwin let fly with amused snorts, Hanji smiled, Grisha looked highly amused, while Carla looked affronted.

"Eren Jaeger! That's not something you ask in polite conversation!"

"But, Mom! It looks all squished… Were you fighting Titans?!" Carla apparently decided she'd heard enough of that talk as she grabbed Eren's arm and escorted him out of the room.

Erwin's expression changed to serious.

"That's something I'd like to ask you as well young man. We found you outside Maria lying facedown in a field. Were you attacked by Titans?"

Obito took a few seconds to ponder the information before speaking.

"Two questions: who is Maria, and what the hell is a Titan?"

The shocked expressions he received in return were not comforting answers. Without thinking, he activated his Sharigan, ignoring the gasps his newfound eyes earned him. None. None of them had the slighest flow of chakra in their bodies; not even Erwin and Levi. Everything suddenly made sense. No mention of shinobi. The lack of hitiate, no chakra of any sort. This talk of Titans, and the strange way everyone was looking at him, not to mention the primitive tending of his wounds. It all made sense now!

"Oh man." The young Uchiha gulped, feeling a bleak pit growing in his stomach. "I'm...

_ ...not in the Elemental Nations anymore, am I?"_

**AN: And there you have it. Uchiha Obito has arrived in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe! Will this affect things for good or ill? Now, I know some of you might cry foul, that you might say Obito was BADLY maimed by that boulder. Ah, but that is what fanfiction is for, is it not? The power of one's imagination! Now, a word from my co-writer. He's the one who came up with this idea in the first place!**

**Vsf: Howdy hey everyone! VSFMark here! Thanks for reading! That's the prologue for you! Big huge shoutout to NeonZangetsu! This story wouldn't exist without him! He's been such a huge help editing this, (he even inspired me to write it with his fic "I'm Only Human.") So in the Prologue we see Obito lose his teammates and find himself surrounded by strangers asking questions he doesn't know the answer to! I'm really looking forward to this story shaping up! It's an incredible feeling seeing my thoughts and ideas about this story finally hitting paper! It's my first attempt at writing fiction so bear with me. I hope you like it. So for a little clarification for the readers out there, Obito has both of his eyes in this fic, there just wasn't enough time for Rin to do the surgery before the situation there went south. **

**Secondly, Obito's right arm and leg are badly broken. Not crushed to a pulp like in cannon. Just for the sake of not handicapping the protagonist a bit of tweaking was necessary. Thirdly NeonZangetsu and I have been debating who should be paired with Obito, or if he should be paired at all. My list of potential pairs are: Mikasa, Sasha, Annie, Petra, and Mina. Now before all the cannon hounds howl at the moon about a Obito/Mikasa pairing being impossible because of her obsession with Eren, have faith. I have a brilliant plan to integrate in naturally if I do say so myself. I'd love to hear your opinions about which pair, and the story in general! Here's my profile URL so you can PM me with questions/comments/concerns since this story is being published on NeonZangetsu's profile. Thanks for reading, stay tuned!**

**NZ: And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this first taste of things to come! **

** So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly?**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Family

**A/N: Hello there, dear reader! I was recently presented with an interesting idea for a NarutoxShigenki no Kyojin crossover. I'm sure most of you have already read "I'm only Human" of course but this story flows in an entirely different vein. At first, I wasn't going to try it at all. Unfortunately, what with being laid off now, I have far too much time on my hands so I figured what the hell. You may also notice I've teamed up with someone this time. I've agreed to help co-write this for a new author, someone who's relatively new to the Fanfiction scene. His name is Vfsmark, and I, being the good soul that I am, decided to lend him a hand with this story. We sincerely hope you enjoyed our combined effort!**

**And on that note...**

**...away we go!**

_"Hands offa her!"_

_~?_

**Family**

"I can't believe it…" Obito gazed over the top of Wall Maria at the naked lumbering figures slowly moving through the trees beyond the wall. He'd been taken up here to get a look at these so-called Titans and he had to admit, it was quite the look.

"Ugly bastards aren't they?" Levi intoned with his usual bored tone of voice.

"It's a lot to absorb all at once I imagine." Erwin Smith's authoritative voice broke Obito out of his stupor. "They pushed our species to the brink of extinction. In over a hundred years of fighting them we've never gained ground. We've always been on the retreat."

Obito stiffly swiveled to his right to see Erwin calmly approaching both hands clasped behind his back.

"We need a game changer. We can't afford to keep losing. Every expedition beyond the Walls has an unacceptable casualty rate." He glanced down at Obito sitting in the wheeled chair-his arm and leg still bound up in a cast, the right side of his visage still badly bruised.

"Something's gotta give, and it won't be the Titans I'd wager." Levi casually assessed.

Erwin nodded in agreement before fixing Obito with a serious look.

"Do you represent a threat to humanity?"

Obito sighed before chuckling. "In my current state, I don't represent a threat to anything. But to answer your question: no. I go out of my way to help those in need."

Erwin nodded bringing his hang up to his chin in a contemplative gesture.

"You're not from here." It wasn't a question. Obito was silent for a long moment; one could see the pain etched into his face.

"How can you tell that, Commander?"

"Your eyes. You have the same eyes as the veterans in the Legion. You most certainly aren't a typical thirteen year old." Erwin made no mention of the eerie way they'd changed color back in the hut; he would have to watch him closely...this young man just might hold the fate of humanity in his hands.

"What is it you think I'm capable of?" the boy asked.

"With power like that, and the determination to never give up...?"

_"Anything."_

* * *

**THE YEAR 844, SHIGANSHINA**

**THREE AND A HALF WEEKS LATER**

"655…656…657…" _It feels good to work out again. Stupid itchy casts. Stupid crutches. Stupid bed rest for three and a half weeks. Sitting around doing nothing is irritating! Eren even said I was gonna get fat that little jerk._

Obito's arms struggled to lift his body back up to the branch he was hanging from outside the Jaeger household. Ever since he was released from Grisha's care, he began vigorous exercise routines to get back in fighting shape. Pull ups, sit ups, pushups, running, tree climbing…Anything that could help him get back to normal after his injuries. Grisha's prediction was right however, his right side seemed weaker than the left, even after all his training.

The sun was cresting is apex position, casting its golden rays on the Jaeger house._My new home _he thought with pride. _I can't believe the Jaeger's would just take me in like they did._

"Obito! It's almost time to leave with dad!" Eren's voice carried its way out the back door of the house to the secluded yard where he was currently training.

"Be right there!" He called back to the younger boy. Obito and Eren hit it off almost immediately after Grisha decided he could stay with them. He'd spend hours pestering Obito to tell him stories of the outside world that he came from, until he gave in out of sheer annoyance and sat him and his quick witted friend Armin down for a story or three.

The two younger boys soaked up any information they could find about life outside the Wall. Obito shook his head as he recalled telling them about how most of the world was salt water.

His reminiscing of the younger boys' antics ceased as he walked into the house through the back door, only to be met by an impatient looking Carla Jaeger.

"I hope you plan on washing up before leaving. You're all dirty and sweaty from your workout. No son of mine will go out in public in such a state!" Carla growled jabbing a threatening finger into Obito's chest for emphasis.

Obito felt his heart swell at the mention of being adopted. He loved the Jaegers dearly for all the things they've done for him.

" Err…Of course I was." Obito's poor attempt at a lie wasn't missed by Carla.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'd better go change clothes and wash your face at least. And hurry. Grisha's going to be home any minute."

Obito scampered to his room to change, incoherently mumbling his apologies to Carla who chuckled and went back to the dishes.

Obito slipped of his sweaty shirt and caught sight of himself in the mirror. He'd changed little since his arrival in Shiganshina. He'd grown taller, and his voice had deepened. Approaching the mirror, his eyes shifted into the crimson Sharingan. Three tomoe glared back at him. Sighing, he cupped his face with his hands. The now familiar sensation of his Sharingan warping into the pinwheel shape of the Mangekyo Sharingan held his attention. He'd heard the stories as a young man of how an Uchiha could acquire these eyes.

The eyes that demanded death.

"I'd take Kakashi and Rin over these any day." He declared as he walked out of his small bedroom clothes changed, Uchiha crested jacket, and forehead protector in hand.

* * *

Sauntering down the path a few steps behind Grisha and Eren, Obito quickly reviewed the purpose for the trip.

"_We're going to visit a few friends for a yearly checkup out in the countryside. They have a daughter about your age named Mikasa. Eren, make sure you're nice to her…" Grisha began before being interrupted by his youngest son._

"_How come you're not telling Obito to be nice to her?!" Eren inquired with an agitated look displayed on his face._

"_Because unlike you, I happen to have manners." Obito teased gently as Eren quickly fired back an insult at the older boy that quickly escalated into Obito holding Eren at arm's length while he swung playfully at the air._

_Grisha chuckled to himself before calling them back onto the task at hand as they walked towards the Shiganshina inner gate and the countryside of Wall Maria beyond._

It started to rain almost immediately after they passed through the Shiganshina inner gate. Grisha's' horse drawn cart was slowed by the muddy ruts in the road. Groaning as he pushed and lifted from the back Obito was silently thankful for the rigorous workouts he had been doing.

"We're gonna be really late." Obito gasped as he struggled to free the sunken wagon wheel.

Grisha nodded solemnly. "Hopefully they'll forgive us on account of the weather."

With one final grunt of effort Obito managed to haul the mired wheel out of the mud with a gross squelch.

"There, now was can get back to it. Hop up!" Grisha commanded. Obito effortlessly slid his way back into the wagon as the horses resumed pulling the cart and its cargo down the sodden road.

"It's done! Look mom." Mikasa Ackerman excited exclaimed as she handed the product of her sewing to her mother sitting to her left at the kitchen table. Mikasa and her mother had been studiously working on embroidery for the past few hours, while he father across the kitchen table peeling potatoes tunelessly whistling all the while.

Her mother took a moment to appraise her work before stating "It's wonderful Mikasa. I knew you would do lovely work. This embroidery pattern has been in our family for generations. When you have children of your own, pass it on to them too."

Mikasa's face became puzzled at her mothers' request.

"How do you get children?" Mikasa tentatively asked.

"You'd better ask your father." Her mother deflected amusedly.

Her father gave a start at the nature of the question, unease at the topic clearly showing on his face while his wife quietly laughed at his predicament.

"Hey dad…" Mikasa curiously started before her father nervously cut her off.

" Well your dad's not too sure either." He stammered. "But Doctor Jaeger and his sons should be here soon. You should ask him."

As if on cue two short taps sounded against the door just a few feet to her fathers' right.

"Oh looks like they're here. He sighed with relief.

Two more taps sounded against the door, faster than the first.

"Coming!" Her dad called out as he walked over to answer the door.

"Doctor Jaeger, we were just talking abo…" as he opened the door to face whomever knocked.

Mikasa couldn't see who it was, but there were several pairs of legs.

A wet splattering sound brought her attention back to her father, as he clutched his middle before falling to the floor unmoving as a red puddle formed under him.

Her mother eyes wide, screamed and rushed the attackers with a sharp pair of scissors in hand.

"Mikasa run!" Her mother cried as she grappled with the first man through the door, desperate to give her daughter time to escape.

Mikasa was rooted to the spot, eyes frantically scanning the scene before her. Scarcely able to believe what she saw.

"Leggo you crazy bitch!" The first attacker roared as he brutally brought his axe down on her mothers' neck. A fountain of vital fluid erupted from her wound as she fell. Twisting her body around she made eye contact with her precious, lovely daughter and mouthed on word.

"_Run."_

Broken from her stupor Mikasa made to turn and run before she caught sight of a fist approaching out of the corner of her eye. She felt the stinging, bone jarring impact of the hit in her jaw, before the edge of the table hit her face. A new scathing pain was felt on her forehead as she slumped to the ground, her last thoughts of her parents as everything faded to black.

Obito felt something was wrong the minute they pulled up to the small wooden cottage in a secluded area of Wall Maria's farmland.

Hopping off the back of the wagon he and the two Jaegers sidled up to the front door, which Grisha briskly knocked before adjusting his cloak to let off the raindrops.

"Shouldn't there be lights on inside?" Obito suspiciously remarked.

"Yes…Something isn't right here." Grisha agreed, stepping back into the rain and taking young Eren by the hand.

Obito crept closer to the door, resting his ear against the grained wood desperately listening for signs of life.

His eyes widened in horror and the scent of blood caught in his nose. Wishing he hadn't left his shuriken holster at home, the kunai knife he kept up his sleeve slid into his right hand without a sound.

Grisha's eyes grew fearful as he saw the black blade appear in Obito's hand and his adopted son slunk into the darkened house silently. Moments later he reappeared out the front door and shook his head.

A very bad sign.

"It's clear inside. Don't let Eren see." Obito's casual request heightened Grisha's anxiety as he told Eren to stay put and approached the structure.

The bodies of his friends greeted Grisha as he strode through the threshold. Gasping in shock and sorrow he knelt to check for signs of life.

"Don't bother, I already checked. My best guess is they've been dead about an hour." Obito concluded grimly, his face set in a deep frown.

"An hour…' _The same hour we were late._

As if he could read his mind, Obito placed a gentle hand on Grisha's shoulder.

"There's nothing we could have done Grisha. Don't blame yourself for this."

"We should alert the Garrison." Grisha asserted logically.

"You and Eren go ahead and do that. I'm going to investigate further. There's no sign of the daughter you mentioned."

Grisha's head whipped around the room in shock, eyes sweeping the room for the missing black haired nine year old.

"God, you're right. Where could she have gone?" Grisha pondered out loud.

"The real question is who took her." Grisha glanced at Obito, seeing the younger boy scanning the room for evidence. His attention was drawn to a small splash of blood on the floor, seemingly there without reason. _Either she wounded them, or was wounded herself. _A few stray black hairs stuck to the blood. So it was her then. _Damn._Small drops of blood led unevenly towards the door and outside into the rain.

" There's a trail. I'm going to track them down and retrieve her. You take Eren go alert the Garrison."

"I can't let you go after dangerous criminals by yourself. I won't." Grisha argued.

" I refuse to stand by and do nothing!" Obito's voice boomed out in the confines of the small cabin, his fists angrily clenched at his sides. He stalked over to the table, slamming his palms on the surface in frustration. His back turned

He sighed before saying: "I live by a saying. Those who abandon their responsibility are trash. But those who abandon their friends are less trash."

Grisha's counter argument died on its way out of his mouth at this profound declaration. Most of the time he forgot that this boy no, this young man was a warrior. He'd taken lives before and would more than likely have to do so again. This wasn't the goofy fun loving twelve year old boy they adopted. This was Obito Uchiha, proud Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He'd seen and heard of his formidable abilities from Captain Levi, and Commander Smith. This man before him was more capable than anyone he'd ever met, or likely will meet.

"Fine. Go."

"But be careful."

Grisha saw his adopted son's eyes turn red before he turned and spoke.

"Old man, they won't know what hit 'em." With that, he darted out the door and into the storm.

"It's cold."

This was Mikasa Ackerman's first thought as she woke to the hard floorboards and chattering voices. Two of the three men responsible for her mother's murder and her father's killing stood mere meters away, arguing over how much she would fetch once she reached the slave market. And yet despite herself, despite knowing full well that her parents were dead, she simply couldn't bring herself to move.

_Mama...Papa..._

The door creaked open, cutting off that thought.

"Excuse me...

She watched a young boy hobble inside on crutches, his hair darker than midnight. He was older than her, perhaps thirteen years of age, but obviously Mikasa wanted to warn him; she really did. But she just couldn't bring her voice to rise up out of her throat.

"You damn brat! What are you doing here?!"

""I just...I got lost in the forest...then I saw your hut...

"That won't do! Kids shouldn't be walking alone in the forest. There are scary wolves out there! But don't worry. We'll take good care of-

The kunai sank into his flesh with a wet thud.

"Thanks, sir. I get it...

...so die already, you worthless shitrag!"

His body slumped to the floor in a heap, slowly bleeding out from the now gaping slit in his chest. The crutches joined them seconds later.

"You're kidding me?!" his partner gasped.

The boy said nothing, he simply turned around and stalked back the way he'd come, the door swinging shut after his baleful glare. It didn't stay that way for long. "Wait_-you damn brat!" _Scarce had it closed behind him than the man flung it open and charged in after the boy axe in hand. He didn't get very far, either. Mikasa watched in disbelief as a knife came flying out of the darkness to land in the man's face, sinking into an eyeball with a sickening pop and crackle of viscuous fluids.

There was a silence, punctuated by harsh, rapid breathing. She heard one word uttered beyond the blackness of that archway.

"Die."

What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary; the boy made a motion and the kidnapper flew; his back striking the far wall with a sickening thud.

"You fucking bastard!" The boy was already there, knife in hand, straddling him before he could rise. "Who do you think you are?!" His kunai descended mercilessly, stabbing into supple flesh time and time again. "You have no right...to do this to her! To anyone! Do you hear me?! _**NO! RIGHT!"**_ Time and time again he struck down, consumed by rage and fury.

Mikasa lay there for what felt like an eternity, watching-admiring-his ruthless precision until at long last, the boy peeled himself off the bleeding body of her would-be kidnapper. He took a deep breath to steady himself and stood woodenly, not taking enough care. Idly, she realized that his goggles had prevented any blood from getting into his eyes; that must've been why he hadn't bashed an eyelash at getting blood on his face. She stared at him for a moment, and he at her.

"Everything's going to be alright." he said. "Don't worry."

Despite the blood spattered across his face, she felt oddly reassured; more so when sliced through her bonds with the knife and began to untie them.

"You're Mikasa, right? I'm Obito. "her savior introduced himself. "I'm the son of Doctor Jaeger. I'm pretty sure you've met him a few times before. We came to visit you so that the two of us could meet, but then...well, at least everything's alright now. I wish we could've made it sooner. Here. You must be freezing in that nightgown." Mikasa was far too numb to cry; perhaps later but not now. For now, she quietly accepted Obito's gift with gratitude, her fingers fisting against the heavy blue fabric of his Uchiha jacket as he wrapped it around her shoulders. It was warm, she realized. Quite warm, almost warm enough to wash all her worries away and make her feel that everything was alright...

"There were three of them." she whispered.

_"I know."_

Mikasa saw Obito's eyes flash then; his black irises staining crimson as they became dyed with chakra. His body seemed to move in slow motion. In that same instant the door swung open, revealing the third and final kidnapper, eyes wide and disbelieving at the murder of his comrades. His hand went for a weapon, but...too slow. Obito was already moving-already snatching up the knife, hands flying forward in a diving lunge that all but carried him across the room and his weapon...

...straight into the throat of his enemy,

_Snick._

The man gurgled and clutched at his slit throat-unable to believe his life was ending-bleeding, spurting away between his fingers. Obito glared at him for a long, hard moment; before he ripped the knife free. A vicious second slash sent the man's head rolling clear off his shoulders, tumbling away to land in a dark and forgotten corner. Seconds later, his body had joined it.

"You have to learn to fight sometimes." he told her. "That's how life is; if you lose, you did. But if you win, you live.

_Fight._

The word resounded somewhere in Mikasa's brain. Yes. Fight. She'd watched Obito-san dismantled her kidnappers without so much as a second thought; ruthlessly dispatching them like the swine they were. Obito had no way of knowing what he'd done, no way of knowing that he'd just helped her attain perfect control of her mind and body.

She'd also started to cry; now that these men were dead, there was nothing left to hold back her tears.

"O-Oi!"

Slender arms wrapped around her, almost before she knew it, Mikasa Ackerman had buried her head into his shoulder and begun to cry. The Uchiha made no move to distance himself from her; he simply held onto her and led the floodgates pour into his bloodied shirt. Once again, he had no way of knowing the far-reaching repercussions of his actions that day, nor what would happen

They stayed that way for a long time, until the Military Police finally found them.

**AN: And there you have it. Canon has been altered dramatically, in that OBITO and not Eren was the one to find and rescue Mikasa, giving her his jacket and goggles in the process. It was truly an absolute joy to write that last scene, I just can't stand the thought of kidnapping no matter the reason...sonsabitches deserve to rot in hell for what they did! Ah, such that is what fanfiction is for, is it not? The power of one's imagination! Now, a word from my co-writer. He's the one who came up with this idea in the first place!**

**VSF: Howdy hey again there readers. Another update so soon? Only because NZ and I love you guys. This chapter was such a blast to write, it just seemed to flow. Which is probably also why you get another chapter so soon! Anyway, we see Obito become introduced to Titans on the Wall by Levi and Smith whilst Obito was still injured. So now our hero has been introduced to the problems of the world he finds himself in.**

**Next we see him getting back in fighting shape after getting his casts and bandages off, much to his delight! We also see him get a little angsty over the Mangekyo Sharingan he found that acquired. We get to see some more familial interactions between Obito and the Jaegers. Armin is also mentioned at this point as well. Now that Obito is here, his and Eren's info on the world outside the walls comes from Obito! **

**Little Mikasa is introduced! That part was a joy to write as well. Thank NZ for writing the slaughter brought down on those thugs. He certainly can stain the pages red, that's for sure.**

**So, the only ones that are aware of Obito's tragic story and abilities are: Grisha and Carla, and Levi and Erwin. The children just think he's a talented warrior. I think that's all for now! Please read and review!**

**NZ: And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this taste of things to come!**

**So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would you Kindly?**

**R&R! =D**


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